Under one person: I, Zhang Zhiwei, the arrogant Zhang.

Chapter 678: I swallowed a golden pill, and from then on my life was in my own hands.
Zhang Jingqing looked at Zhang Zhiwei unhappily. The reason you like to use the Golden Light Mantra, a great thing passed down by our ancestors, is simply because it makes a clanging sound when you strike it and it sounds nice?

He frowned and wanted to scold, but then he changed his mind and thought that the reason why Zhang Zhiwei's attainment in the Golden Light Mantra was so high was probably because he did not praise the Golden Light Mantra too highly and did not take it too seriously.

To Zhang Zhiwei, all those halos on the Golden Light Mantra, such as being created by the Patriarch Tianshi, the unique martial art of Tianshi Mansion, the excellent means of protecting the way that combines the cultivation of life and death, and offense and defense... none of them exist. It is just an ordinary method that is convenient to use, pleasant to the ear, and can also cultivate life and death.

If it weren't for the first two reasons, perhaps in his eyes, the Golden Light Mantra, the Dragon-Tiger Inner Alchemy Technique, and even the messy hoeing technique he created himself were actually not much different.

The first two reasons were the kind of non-utilitarian and brilliant love, and it was precisely because of this seemingly frivolous attitude that he was able to excel in the practice of the Golden Light Mantra.

Perhaps his disciple's seemingly childish attitude was in line with a certain way of tranquility and inaction. There were some things that he should not only not reprimand or prohibit, but should also learn from him.

There is nothing shameful about this. The sage Confucius once said that among three people walking together, there must be one who can be my teacher. Of course, the content of this learning definitely does not include Zhang Zhiwei's big mouth.

Thinking of this, Zhang Jingqing was too lazy to scold Zhang Zhiwei. Let it jingle if he likes it. Just treat it as a means of protecting the Tao.

"Your current cultivation is very high, so high that it can be described as 'refining the outer defense, the inner truth', and it is not an exaggeration to say that it is 'swallowing a golden pill into the stomach'."

"Refine for the outer defense, the true residence within" comes from "Zhouyi Cantongqi", and is a description of a state of spiritual practice.

Among them, "refining it into a protective shield" refers to the process of transforming the body through the dual cultivation of sex and life, making the body like a solid protective barrier, just like a solid city wall.

"Bai Li Zhen Ju" refers to a pure and untainted state, in which the human spirit and body achieve harmony and unity, and become one with the nature of heaven and earth.

This is exactly Zhang Zhiwei's current state. He is one with nature inside, and is as solid as a rock even without using any supernatural powers or resorting to any tricks.

Zhang Jingqing continued, "But we can't say that 'I finally realized that my fate is in my own hands, not in the hands of God', because on the road, there is still a possibility of failure. If you fail, you will fail completely."

"So don't be impatient. When on the road, the most important thing is not to be impatient. Even the Pure Yang Master Lu Dongbin took twelve years to achieve enlightenment after reaching your level."

"It took Bodhidharma, the founder of Zen Buddhism, twelve years to achieve enlightenment, nine of which he spent facing the wall in the Bodhidharma Cave."

"Even the founder of Buddhism, Sakyamuni, went through twelve years of ascetic practice, during which he sent his disciples away and walked alone in the snowy mountains. Only then did he attain enlightenment under the Bodhi tree."

Zhang Zhiwei was surprised and asked, "Why is it always twelve years?"

Zhang Jingqing said: "One cycle of Jupiter is one epoch, which is equivalent to one cycle of the Earthly Branches in twelve years. If you don't achieve enlightenment in these twelve years, you will have to wait for the next twelve years. This is the opportunity for enlightenment, which is the destiny of heaven."

At this point, Zhang Jingqing smiled and said, "You are definitely going to complain about my habit of knocking my head three times and closing the front door with my hands behind my back."

You said all my words... Zhang Zhiwei smiled and said, "Master, please continue."

Zhang Jingqing continued: "It is said to be a number of days, but in fact, it is just like pregnancy and childbirth, it is a cycle. After swallowing the golden elixir, what should I do? My life is in my own hands, not in the hands of God."

"It is to nurture the holy fetus. Once the holy fetus is formed, my life will be in my own hands."

"There is a saying in the spiritual world: 'Ten months of pregnancy, three years of breastfeeding, and nine years of facing the wall'. This is about nurturing the holy fetus. Once the holy fetus is formed, according to Buddhism, 'this section especially shows the image of the Dharma body.'"

Dharmakaya...Holy fetus...Zhang Zhiwei muttered to himself, if you just say holy fetus, it would give people the feeling of the Nascent Soul in later novels. The Nascent Soul old monster is so terrifying, but once you mention Dharmakaya, it is not difficult to understand.

Although the Dharmakaya of all Buddhas, all Bodhisattvas, and all Buddhas is Vairocana Tathagata, there is one within the Dharmakaya called the Self-Nature Body, also called the Self-Nature Dharmakaya.

The relationship between the two has been elaborated in various Buddhist scriptures. Some people say that the Dharmakaya is the self-nature body, while some people say that the self-nature body is not the Dharmakaya.

Actually, both are correct.

In Zhang Zhiwei's view, the relationship between the self-nature body and the Dharma body is like the relationship between the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Arhats and Vairocana Tathagata who make up Vairocana Tathagata.

In short, although the Dharmakaya and the Self-nature body are not contradictory, the difference between the two is that the Self-nature body is the Dharmakaya, but the Dharmakaya is not necessarily the Self-nature body.

Dharmakaya is the essence, and self-nature body is a part of Dharmakaya.

What Master means by nurturing the holy fetus is to nurture a Dharma body.

As for whether this Dharmakaya is the self-nature body or the true Dharmakaya, perhaps it depends on one's own ability.

If you have strong abilities, you are Vairocana Tathagata. If you do not have strong abilities, you are the Buddha or Bodhisattva within the body of Vairocana Tathagata.

Of course, it is difficult to say exactly what is going on as Zhang Zhiwei has not yet been involved in this area.

However, Zhang Zhiwei is sure that the Dharmakaya of one's own nature is definitely countless times stronger than the subjective nature polished by those who convert after death.

The subjectivity of those who convert after death is like the tree people in the sacred forest of the Nathan tree. Although some consciousness still remains, they can only rely on the sacred tree to exist.

And perhaps the self-nature body can break free from the constraints of the roots of the sacred tree and enter and exit the holy forest freely.

As for whether it can grow into a new sacred tree, that is unknown.

This seems to explain why there are so many messy factions in Taoism and Buddhism.

The founders of these factions should all have nurtured the holy fetus and realized the existence of their own nature.

They have broken free from the constraints of the dharmakaya of the ancestors, but have not completely broken free and are still under their protection.

Just like a grown-up son, you can leave home and start your own family.

But you still have the same last name, and you can go home to visit your parents anytime.

At this time, Zhang Zhiwei suddenly thought of the Wudang Sect Leader and said:
"Master, I went to Wudang once. When I met Master Sun, he had been practicing in the Prince Cave of Wudang for several years. Was he nurturing the Saint Fetus?"

Zhang Jingqing was stunned for a moment and said, "With that old guy's cultivation, this is possible, but the details, I'm afraid only he knows."

Zhang Zhiwei seemed to be thinking deeply. If his memory of his previous life was correct, Sun Menchang would have passed away a few years before the Jiashen Rebellion.

Before he passed away, several famous doctors examined him and they all said that he was in good health and better than ever.

Sun Menzhang himself said, "I am in good health, why should I go to the hospital? It's just that the immortals and Buddhas will take me there, and I just want to go for a trip."

Sure enough, not long after he finished speaking, Master Sun stopped eating for two weeks, and during that time he only practiced boxing and calligraphy every day.

Then, one morning, he said that a fairy came to take him away and asked people to burn paper money. Afterwards, he left a sentence "I regard life and death as a game" and died with a smile.

Although Sun Menchang did not appear as a character in the plot of One Person's World, since he existed, he might have passed away a few years before the Jiashen Rebellion, just as recorded in his previous life.

That means that Master Sun will not live long, but when he saw Master Sun that time, he was clearly in good spirits and did not look like someone who would die soon.

At that time, he was puzzled. In this condition, Master Sun could have lived for another few decades without any problems, so why did he die?
Now that I think about it, maybe he is not going to die, but his holy fetus is about to be formed and he is about to attain enlightenment.

It's just that he kept a low profile over the years and didn't get involved in the affairs of the martial arts world. He also passed away before the Jiashen Rebellion, so there are not many records about him.

"Then how should Master nurture the holy fetus?" Zhang Zhiwei asked.

"Do you need to be taught to raise a child? Once the baby is conceived, it will be innately able to do it!" Zhang Jingqing said, "However, in order to raise the holy fetus, the holy fetus must be conceived first."

"Then how should it be concluded?" Zhang Zhiwei asked.

Zhang Jingqing said in a deep voice: "If scholars know the purpose of gathering five and combining four, and uniting two into one, then Yin and E will be complete and the holy fetus will be formed."

Zhang Zhiwei understood it immediately and grasped the meaning instantly.

"Gather five and combine four" means to combine the five elements into one, and the four symbols gather together without dispersing.

There is no need to explain the five elements: gold, wood, water, fire and earth.

The four symbols refer to the sun, moon, lesser yang and lesser yin. "To unite the two into one" means to unite the two divine qi into one. In this way, Yin and Yang can be formed and the holy fetus can be formed.

"The five elements and four symbols will not disperse..." Zhang Zhiwei reacted, "Master, you asked me to integrate the five elements of my body a long time ago, is it for this?"

Zhang Jingqing nodded: "It seems that you have reacted. You have the heart to surrender... With the help of the mind and the monkey, the five elements and four images are just a matter of time and effort. Just slowly harmonize them and they will be fine."

"As for being able to combine the two into one, that depends on your own ability. As for matters of the Way, Master can only give you some pointers, but can't help you too much."

"Take this book. Although it is not the true method and cannot be passed down orally or taught, some of the principles in it can still be used as a reference. It may be useful to you."

Zhang Jingqing handed the Rootless Tree on the table to Zhang Zhiwei and continued:
"The immortal grafting method here may seem like possession of another's body or dual cultivation at first glance, but it actually means that people can use their own spirit to replenish their body."

"Our spirit is usually directed outwards, and the six senses are all directed outwards. How can we restrain our spirits, communicate with the spirits of heaven and earth, and connect with the void? This is the 'grafting method'."

"If you understand it as an evil method like dual cultivation or possession of another's body, even if you can find some way, it is still a mistake."

"These methods are too difficult. It's useless for ordinary people to know them. They won't really understand them and will only mislead others."

Zhang Zhiwei took it solemnly: "Master, I will study it carefully."

"Okay, go back and study it yourself. If you have any questions, you can ask me!"

Zhang Jingqing waved his hand and asked Zhang Zhiwei to leave.

Zhang Zhiwei bowed to his master and left.

After walking out of the master's room, he kept thinking about what the master had said before and trying to understand the meaning.

Although the master did not tell him the specific mantras and the trajectory of Qi, Tao is not a technique. It is impossible to recite it word for word and repeat other people's operations. Some things can only be done by oneself.

Ten months of pregnancy... three years of breastfeeding... nine years of facing the wall... nurturing the holy fetus...

"The ten months of pregnancy is actually a practice, and it is a transition process of Neidan Kung. Although it is ten months, the state before pregnancy may be difficult for many people to reach in their lifetime."

“And three years of breastfeeding and nine years of facing the wall are the process of nurturing the holy fetus. Although there is a saying that practitioners can break through realms, it does not mean that once a realm is broken through, one’s own strength will undergo earth-shaking changes.”

"It takes time to practice the Dharma, and twelve years is the time it takes to practice the Dharma, which is also the time it takes for the holy fetus to grow. This time is fixed, and even Buddhas and sages must abide by it."

Thinking of this, Zhang Zhiwei suddenly thought of Zhang Chulan in the plot.

Speaking of which, this kid had a gap of twelve years in his training, arranged by the Big Eared Thief.

And twelve years later, a baby with the words "Nothing gained, to the spirit of the valley gods" grew inside him.

Isn't this just the right amount of time to nurture the Holy Infant?

He had previously speculated that this holy fetus was either left behind by Wu Gensheng and later grafted onto Zhang Chulan using a method similar to that recorded in "The Rootless Tree", or it was a method that Zhang Huaiyi used to comprehend the origin of his Qi body.

Now that I think about it carefully, maybe it’s not necessarily both.

It takes Zhang Chulan twelve years to nurture the holy fetus.

During these twelve years, someone was needed to protect him, and the person Zhang Huaiyi found was Feng Baobao.

Of course, there is another possibility.

That is, the holy fetus was actually nurtured in Feng Baobao, and later Feng Baobao gave it to Zhang Chulan.

But no matter who raises it, it will take twelve years.

At the same time, if the Holy Fetus, that is, the Valley God, is something similar to the Heavenly Master's Degree and the Golden Branch of the Sacred Tree, then it should also have restrictions. What restrictions does it impose on Zhang Chulan?
Zhang Zhiwei thought about it and realized that the restrictions of the Heavenly Master's Degree were relatively direct, explicitly prohibiting certain behaviors of those who were giving the degree.

The sacred tree is more gentle. It does not explicitly prohibit anything, but it will brainwash people and make believers learn to sacrifice and be pious...

Li Muxuan's granddaughter was brainwashed and was willing to sacrifice everything for the sacred tree.

In the plot, Elijah, a Nathan guard, likes Li Muxuan's granddaughter very much, and even has the idea of ​​saving her from suffering.

So, he chose to be a traitor and tried his best to burn down the sacred tree.

When Zhang Zhiwei first learned about this plot, he only thought that Elijah was a love-brained man and a warrior who charged forward for love.

But now it seems that this is not the case.

As a Nasenwei who accepted the subjective will of the sacred tree, how could he possibly think of burning the sacred tree for his beloved? !

If there really is, there are only two possibilities.

The first possibility is that Elijah is stronger than the sacred tree, and his personal will overwhelms the will of the sacred tree.

But this is unlikely. If he could really suppress the sacred tree, he could free King Nathan in a moment, without going through so much trouble.

The second possibility is that all his thoughts and actions of charging for love were arranged by the sacred tree.

However, this arrangement was subtle and Elijah himself did not realize it. He thought he was rebelling against the sacred tree, but in fact it was the sacred tree that made him rebel.

As for why the sacred tree is like this...

If you think from the perspective of the sacred tree, there is a group of people who have drawn a circle on the ground to create a prison for you, trapping you on the sea for thousands of years, not allowing you to go out or develop.

What can you do to escape without being hunted down?

The answer is to escape by faking one's death.

Although Zhang Zhiwei didn't know what happened after Nathan Island, he felt that this possibility was very high.

After this plot, Elijah should be just a pawn, and King Nathan cannot be freed, but the sacred tree may be freed, and the trapped dragon will ascend to heaven from the Jedi of Nathan Island, and the fish will return to the sea.

Of course, whether this can be concealed from its opponents is not certain.

"The sacred tree has the ability to brainwash people, does the Heavenly Master have the same ability?"

Zhang Zhiwei turned his head to look at his master's room, then shook his head.

Taoism is the religion that least likes brainwashing among all religions.

If the sacred tree can brainwash, then it is possible that the Heavenly Master cannot fail to do so, and he can even do better. However, the situation displayed by the Heavenly Master is an almost rigid prohibition.

When faced with things that touch upon forbidden areas, and when the Heavenly Master displays his state, I really want to do it, but I am restricted, so I cannot do it.

But if you are brainwashed, you will definitely not have such emotions.

Therefore, the Tianshi Degree should not be brainwashing. It only tells you which things you are not allowed to do, and you can do whatever you want with the rest.

In this case, what about the Valley Spirit that Zhang Huaiyi got into Zhang Chulan's body? What is its manifestation in this regard?
Zhang Zhiwei was thinking when he suddenly met Zhang Huaiyi at the corner.

This kid was sneaking down from the back mountain, and the two of them bumped into each other under the plaque of the Sihan Tianshi Mansion.

"Huaiyi, why are you not sleeping in the middle of the night and doing something sneaky?"

(End of this chapter)